


Overheard on a Saltmarsh

by ButterflyGhost



Series: City on a Hill [7]
Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/M, Gen, Gender-Neutral Runner Five, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 00:50:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterflyGhost/pseuds/ButterflyGhost
Summary: If Five has to die then going out to a love song would not be too bad.





	Overheard on a Saltmarsh

Archie is the only runner who would break out in song while we’re being chased by zombies. Even as we speed up, the mud and salt-water splashing us with each step, I find myself grinning. I glance to the side. Archie’s giving it her all. She’s got a faster rhythm going than I’ve heard before, though that might be necessity rather than a stylistic choice; her steps are keeping time with the beat. At least she can carry a tune. Plus, her breath control is impressive. Jamie’s running alongside us and he’s grinning too. That is to say - he’s trying not to grin. He’s scowling with his face and laughing with his eyes.

 

"'...I'm not one of those who can easily hide...'" Archie gasps out.

 

"That’s a shame," Jamie says, "because hiding from these zoms would be a great idea."

 

Sam’s voice crackles on the headset. _"You might not need to hide if you keep going. The mud is slowing them down."_

 

"It’s slowing _us_ down," Jamie points out, his scowl turning real for a moment. "And what happens if we get stuck in the muck?"

 

_"If you get stuck in the muck then so will the zoms."_

 

"Yeah, but we’ll be stuck in the muck."

 

Archie, I notice, has skipped a couple of verses. Either she forgot the words or she’s decided she needs to finish the song sooner rather than later. It’s a shame, I muse. I’ve been enjoying the distraction of her sweet soprano. If I have to die then going out to a love song wouldn't be too bad.

 

Archie's next words confirm my suspicion that she’s forgotten the lyrics. She sings as much, her voice gabbling to keep the scansion of the new line in time with our footfall. Her face, when I glance, is puzzled and cross. You have to love her for never seeming scared. "'If I was a sculptor, I’ve forgotten the words, oh how I hate zombies, those shambling turds -'"

 

Jamie barks out a laugh and completely forgets that he’s scowling. He shoots her a warm glance and she catches the smile on his face, beams back.

 

"'So excuse me forgetting,'" she returns to her forgotten verse and puts a hand to her heart as though she is performing on stage. Behind us is a slap-splash-groan as a zombie falls flat on its face. "Ooh," she interrupts herself. "That’s interesting, it can’t get up." She breaks into a giggle. "It looks like it’s doing the breaststroke. Badly!"

 

"No points for style,” Jamie agrees. “Where are the Russian judges when we need them?"

 

Archie wrinkles her forehead as she ponders this conundrum. "I have no idea. I could be a Russian judge though. I mean, not an actual judge, I don’t know what they do when zombies are drowning, but at least I’m Russian."

 

 _"Zombies can’t drown,"_ says Sam on the radio.  _"They can’t breath.”_

 

"It looks funny though," Archie says, "or sad. Poor zombie."

 

"Poor zombie?" Jamie sounds outraged. "Who’s side are you on! It’s going to eat us!"

 

"No, it’s not," Archie gives an unhappy shake of her head. "Poor thing. It’s going to sink."

 

"Poor thing? It’s a zom!"

 

"It used to be a nun." Archie continues to look sad. “Poor nun.”

 

"Now you’re feeling sorry for nuns? You never went to a Catholic school, did you?"

 

"I grew up in the USSR," Archie says. "All the nuns froze to death in Siberia."

 

"Okay, you got a point. Poor nuns." Jamie's eyes widen as he hears himself. "I can't believe I said that. I can't believe I'm being chased by dead nuns."

 

"I didn’t know you went to a Catholic school."

 

"I didn’t. I went to a Secondary Modern." He looks wistful. "All the sexy girls went to Blessed Robert Johnson."

 

"Not all the sexy girls," Archie sulks. "I didn’t."

 

"You were in Russia." He looks thoughtful and concedes. "Lots of sexy girls in Russia."

 

"True." Archie pauses. "What were we talking about?"

 

Jamie doesn’t say anything for a moment. "You know," he admits, "I got no idea."

 

 _"Russian judges,"_   Sam interjects.

 

Behind us comes another heavy splash. Archie looks over her shoulder. "There goes another one." Splash. "Ooh, and another."

 

"Zombies aren’t exactly known for their motor skills." Jamie’s in perfect step with her, their feet hitting the exact same beat with every stride. I wonder if they’ve noticed. "So, Russian judge. Those zoms? How many points do you give them?"

 

"Is this Eurovision or the Olympics?"

 

"The Olympics." He keeps a straight face. "Obviously."

 

"Oh," she looks wistful. "I was going to say 'null pahnts.'"

 

_"That’s pronounced 'nool pwant.'"_

 

"That’s what I said, Sam."

 

"'Nul points' for common sense," Jamie pronounces it correctly and rolls his eyes. "That means both of you. Why can’t you be more like Five and save your breath for running?"

 

"Five is mysterious and sexy," declares Archie and gives me a flirty look. Jamie gives me a dirty one. The only reason I’m not laughing is that, as Jamie points out, I am saving my breath for running. My cheeks are sore from not laughing though. I do love running with Archie.

 

"Nice to know who you were singing too," mutters Jamie. Archie looks surprised.

 

"Oh," she says, "I was singing to you. Sorry, Five."

 

Jamie starts 'not smiling' again. The fact that he’s smirking doesn’t help his efforts to look stoic. He gives me a smug look, then smiles outright at Archie before remembering that he’s stern.

 

"Thanks." He puts on his trademark scowl. "Hey, Sam, was that the last one?"

 

_"Uh... yes. Yes, actually. That was the last one."_

 

We stop and stand panting in the middle of the marshes, soaked, muddy and still alive. To our right, the sea stretches out, a plate of glass that shimmers in the sun. Somewhere in the blue distance is Holland. My heart aches for it, and all the countries I shall never see again, for all the others which I shall never now see. I hope Holland is doing okay.

 

Archie starts singing again.

 

"'Excuse me forgetting, but these things I do - see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue.'"

 

Jamie steps towards her, not smiling anymore, not scowling, just holding her in an intent gaze as though she is the only thing in the world he ever wanted to see. He lifts his hand to her face.

 

"'What I really mean,'" Archie’s voice is trembling as she tilts her head and looks up at him, "'yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.'"

 

Jamie pushes her sweaty hair back from her forehead, then strokes her cheek. His voice is soft and heavy with affection.

 

"They’re brown, you silly bint."

 

I turn to give them privacy. As I smile across at Holland two summer waders break from the cover of the reeds. I watch their skyward clatter as they circle each other on the ascent.

 

The world never ended. Above, beneath, around me, the blue-green globe spins on. All the fragility and love in the world is coalesced in the gyring dance of the birds; in the man and the woman; in the marshland, in the kiss.


End file.
